User Reviews (17)

These are an excellent set of speakers. I run an Pioneer 821 K amp and It does a marvelous job... Picked these speakers up for $40 bucks off Craigslist. Fresh new reform kit en route, will keep these speakers forever.

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

shane murray AudioPhile

[Jul 12, 2015]

These are an excellent set of speakers. I run an Pioneer 821 K amp and It does a marvelous job... Picked these speakers up for $40 bucks off Craigslist. Fresh new reform kit en route, will keep these speakers forever.

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Eric
Casual Listener [Oct 08, 2012]

These speakers BANG. The sound quality sounds great and also the bass is excellent! You will NOT be dissapointed !

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Eric Casual Listener

[Oct 08, 2012]

These speakers BANG. The sound quality sounds great and also the bass is excellent! You will NOT be dissapointed !

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

harpsm
Audio Enthusiast [May 13, 2010]

As others have said, these speakers feature excellent, tight bass, but somewhat muddy mids and somewhat shrill highs. As such, they are excellent for percussion, electronic, and hard rock, but some weaknesses show for more organic and delicate sounds (vocal music, piano), though classic jazz and orchestral music still sound pretty darn good. The bass is deep enough that a subwoofer is not necessary, but a good powered sub will still make a real improvement with bass-heavy music or as part of a home theater. Being Cerwin Vegas, these things will happily play loud. Even powered by my 65 watt-per-channel receiver, neither the speakers nor the receiver strain to fill a 500+ square foot room.

My only comparisons for these speakers are large vintage bookshelf models from Infinity, Boston Acoustics, and Spendor. The CVs are in the same ballpark of sound quality, but with much fuller bass and a much greater capacity for high volume.

Bottom line: these speakers do a great job of making you feel the music, and even though they're not audiophile grade, only the most discerning ears could find significant flaws in their sound. At the going used rate of around $150, they're a great deal for music and/or as fronts in a surround sound system.

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

harpsm Audio Enthusiast

[May 13, 2010]

As others have said, these speakers feature excellent, tight bass, but somewhat muddy mids and somewhat shrill highs. As such, they are excellent for percussion, electronic, and hard rock, but some weaknesses show for more organic and delicate sounds (vocal music, piano), though classic jazz and orchestral music still sound pretty darn good. The bass is deep enough that a subwoofer is not necessary, but a good powered sub will still make a real improvement with bass-heavy music or as part of a home theater. Being Cerwin Vegas, these things will happily play loud. Even powered by my 65 watt-per-channel receiver, neither the speakers nor the receiver strain to fill a 500+ square foot room.

My only comparisons for these speakers are large vintage bookshelf models from Infinity, Boston Acoustics, and Spendor. The CVs are in the same ballpark of sound quality, but with much fuller bass and a much greater capacity for high volume.

Bottom line: these speakers do a great job of making you feel the music, and even though they're not audiophile grade, only the most discerning ears could find significant flaws in their sound. At the going used rate of around $150, they're a great deal for music and/or as fronts in a surround sound system.

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

Bluedenmant
AudioPhile [Aug 23, 2007]

Strength:

Bass! Build quality. Woofer surrounds look like they will last a long time on these drivers.

Weakness:

Shrill midrange/tweeters. Unbelievably so.

I'm a bit baffled at most of these reviews for one reason only. No matter what you paid (hi/low) for these speakers, what really stands out to my listening ears is the disparity between the excellent quality of the 10" woofers and the mid/highs. I'm still pleasantly surprised at how well the bass performs. But the mid/hi's are exceedingly shrill; and that's the best word I can use to describe what I'm hearing - shrill; painfully so. You have to adjust the treble down to nothing to withstand the piercing sound of the mid-range/tweeter speakers. I don't understand how CV got one so right and the others so wrong. Luckily you can adjust (like Reviewer #5 mentioned) the dynamics w/equalizer, but you really should not have to.

Similar Products Used:
As this was for speaker rating, I will only list speakers currently being utilized:
System A:
2 Large Advent (classics) for Centers
2 Polk Lsi-9 for Fronts
2 AR-3a (classics) for Rears
2 OHM-L speakers for additional Centers

System B:
2 CV RE-25
2 AR-38b
2 Infinity Qs
2 OHM R-2 speakers

Value Rating: based on what I paid for them
Overall Rating: 3 is best I can give for reasons stated.

OVERALLRATING

3

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Bluedenmant AudioPhile

[Aug 23, 2007]

Strength:

Bass! Build quality. Woofer surrounds look like they will last a long time on these drivers.

Weakness:
Shrill midrange/tweeters. Unbelievably so.

I'm a bit baffled at most of these reviews for one reason only. No matter what you paid (hi/low) for these speakers, what really stands out to my listening ears is the disparity between the excellent quality of the 10" woofers and the mid/highs. I'm still pleasantly surprised at how well the bass performs. But the mid/hi's are exceedingly shrill; and that's the best word I can use to describe what I'm hearing - shrill; painfully so. You have to adjust the treble down to nothing to withstand the piercing sound of the mid-range/tweeter speakers. I don't understand how CV got one so right and the others so wrong. Luckily you can adjust (like Reviewer #5 mentioned) the dynamics w/equalizer, but you really should not have to.

Similar Products Used:
As this was for speaker rating, I will only list speakers currently being utilized:
System A:
2 Large Advent (classics) for Centers
2 Polk Lsi-9 for Fronts
2 AR-3a (classics) for Rears
2 OHM-L speakers for additional Centers

System B:
2 CV RE-25
2 AR-38b
2 Infinity Qs
2 OHM R-2 speakers

Value Rating: based on what I paid for them
Overall Rating: 3 is best I can give for reasons stated.

OVERALLRATING

3

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

saldfsdkja
Audio Enthusiast [Sep 01, 2006]

Strength:

Powerful quality bass, cosmetically rich, nice clearity with little distortion at high volume levels, even more exceptional at minimal volume.

Weakness:

The Reâ€™s midrange, and highs lack quality mostly apparent with classical. Only weak when compared to high-end audiophile equipment. Overall the Re's are excellent and the everyday audio enthusiast will cherish the moments listening to this speaker.

When first listening to the Re's you quickly realize the pleasing sound at all ranges of volume, most notably at low or even extremely low decibels. This makes it perfect for late nights, apartments, or just great sounding everyday easy listening. As you increase the volume you notice the extreme clear non-boomy sound of the bass, not so spectacular midrange, and decent highs. Nevertheless the strengths of this speaker are quickly noticeable, the weaknesses however are a little more subtle but faintly apparent. Only holding the highest degree of skepticism can I even make a legitimate claim? My problem is apparent for me due to the fact of my wide range of listening genresâ€™. I see no problem unless I listen to classical music. There is where I realize the areas of improvement.

I still have not had the courage to part with my Reâ€™s they provide great sound and exceptional longevity, they will however have to move to my room, because they do not contend with high end big boys. If you can find a pair for fewer than 200 and have space, I believe them to be a great addition.

Please feel free to share your views with me, and give me feedback as to whether this article assisted you.

Powerful quality bass, cosmetically rich, nice clearity with little distortion at high volume levels, even more exceptional at minimal volume.

Weakness:
The Reâ€™s midrange, and highs lack quality mostly apparent with classical. Only weak when compared to high-end audiophile equipment. Overall the Re's are excellent and the everyday audio enthusiast will cherish the moments listening to this speaker.

When first listening to the Re's you quickly realize the pleasing sound at all ranges of volume, most notably at low or even extremely low decibels. This makes it perfect for late nights, apartments, or just great sounding everyday easy listening. As you increase the volume you notice the extreme clear non-boomy sound of the bass, not so spectacular midrange, and decent highs. Nevertheless the strengths of this speaker are quickly noticeable, the weaknesses however are a little more subtle but faintly apparent. Only holding the highest degree of skepticism can I even make a legitimate claim? My problem is apparent for me due to the fact of my wide range of listening genresâ€™. I see no problem unless I listen to classical music. There is where I realize the areas of improvement.

I still have not had the courage to part with my Reâ€™s they provide great sound and exceptional longevity, they will however have to move to my room, because they do not contend with high end big boys. If you can find a pair for fewer than 200 and have space, I believe them to be a great addition.

Please feel free to share your views with me, and give me feedback as to whether this article assisted you.

Cerwin Vega does an awesome job with bass. I would like to see them improve mid and high tones a little bit.

Good audio speakers! They play bass even at low sound levels. They handle a decent amount of power. They do not distort even at high volume. They do a decent job at high and mid tones. The speakers produce a low frequency range considering there is only a single 10" in each speaker.

Customer Service

Never needed it

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer speakers with 15 inch woofers

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

kfilly AudioPhile

[Aug 14, 2006]

Strength:

Bass, bass, and more bass. Fairly smooth and balanced.

Weakness:
Cerwin Vega does an awesome job with bass. I would like to see them improve mid and high tones a little bit.

Good audio speakers! They play bass even at low sound levels. They handle a decent amount of power. They do not distort even at high volume. They do a decent job at high and mid tones. The speakers produce a low frequency range considering there is only a single 10" in each speaker.

Customer Service: Never needed it

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer speakers with 15 inch woofers

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Tyler McClure
AudioPhile [Jun 14, 2006]

Strength:

Volume,
Clarity,
Power,
EVERYTHING!

Weakness:

They're about 50lbs...

I've had many sets of speakers. Bose, BIC Venturi, Kenwood, Alpine, and I have to say, these are the most powerful of all of mine, or maybe level with the Bose. The clarity of the sound is unreal. Total power, these are loud bad boys! If you want a great set of speakers, these are the way to go. I'm sad to say that I am trading them at a Pawn Shop, but in return I'm getting a new set, and a Randall Amplifier. I will miss these babies. If you ever get the chance, BUY THESE SPEAKERS!
10 OUT OF 10!

Similar Products Used:
BIC Venturi Formula 6 Spec II

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Tyler McClure AudioPhile

[Jun 14, 2006]

Strength:

Volume,
Clarity,
Power,
EVERYTHING!

Weakness:
They're about 50lbs...

I've had many sets of speakers. Bose, BIC Venturi, Kenwood, Alpine, and I have to say, these are the most powerful of all of mine, or maybe level with the Bose. The clarity of the sound is unreal. Total power, these are loud bad boys! If you want a great set of speakers, these are the way to go. I'm sad to say that I am trading them at a Pawn Shop, but in return I'm getting a new set, and a Randall Amplifier. I will miss these babies. If you ever get the chance, BUY THESE SPEAKERS!
10 OUT OF 10!

Similar Products Used:
BIC Venturi Formula 6 Spec II

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

davewri2323
Audio Enthusiast [Jan 07, 2004]

Strength:

I live in a house that is not too close to anyone who would be bothered, Haven't exploded them yet.

Weakness:

Not designed for low level background music.

Saw them on the floor with some other speakers piled on top. I knew the owner was just clearing out his overstock and didn't know or care what the jewels really are capable of. Hooked them up to my Hafler TransNova,Onkyo P304 pre-amp and gemini CD-4000. Stunning sound! Everything you could ask for in a good small speaker.

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

davewri2323 Audio Enthusiast

[Jan 07, 2004]

Strength:

I live in a house that is not too close to anyone who would be bothered, Haven't exploded them yet.

Weakness:
Not designed for low level background music.

Saw them on the floor with some other speakers piled on top. I knew the owner was just clearing out his overstock and didn't know or care what the jewels really are capable of. Hooked them up to my Hafler TransNova,Onkyo P304 pre-amp and gemini CD-4000. Stunning sound! Everything you could ask for in a good small speaker.

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

orionteggy
Audio Enthusiast [Dec 01, 2002]

Strength:

These speakers have an unbelievable headroom as well as a very high sensetivity rate so they'll play clean and clear at low volumes. The sound is very precise and would rival any high end speaker out there today....Not to mention that these speakers age like a classic street rod.

Weakness:

there aren't any

These speakers blew me away when i first hooked them up. I picked them up used at the corner pawn shop :) I know a good speaker when i see one and my god i was floored when i saw a pair of re's sitting in the corner under a blanket of dust. I took them on over to a receiver and played them to find that they sounded like they had never been abused. Then I popped off the woofer on each speaker and metered them to find they read a clean reading. A few minutes later I took them to the counter and offered them 50 bucks for them hoping they had no idea what they were. They took my offer !! When I got them home I opened the grills up. These things are mint. Not a single scratch on the wood finish and surprisingly i found the nameplates from the grills hidden inside the grills. I popped those back on the front of the grills; hooked them up to my technics 1040 and sat back in sonic bliss.

Similar Products Used:
I've gone through some polk towers; yamaha studio speakers as well as some smaller klipch tower speakers. The re's take the trophy.

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

orionteggy Audio Enthusiast

[Dec 01, 2002]

Strength:

These speakers have an unbelievable headroom as well as a very high sensetivity rate so they'll play clean and clear at low volumes. The sound is very precise and would rival any high end speaker out there today....Not to mention that these speakers age like a classic street rod.

Weakness:
there aren't any

These speakers blew me away when i first hooked them up. I picked them up used at the corner pawn shop :) I know a good speaker when i see one and my god i was floored when i saw a pair of re's sitting in the corner under a blanket of dust. I took them on over to a receiver and played them to find that they sounded like they had never been abused. Then I popped off the woofer on each speaker and metered them to find they read a clean reading. A few minutes later I took them to the counter and offered them 50 bucks for them hoping they had no idea what they were. They took my offer !! When I got them home I opened the grills up. These things are mint. Not a single scratch on the wood finish and surprisingly i found the nameplates from the grills hidden inside the grills. I popped those back on the front of the grills; hooked them up to my technics 1040 and sat back in sonic bliss.

Similar Products Used:
I've gone through some polk towers; yamaha studio speakers as well as some smaller klipch tower speakers. The re's take the trophy.

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

victord360
AudioPhile [Feb 12, 2002]

Strength:

Durability, construction, price, !QUALITY!

Weakness:

Highs a little muddy

These have very nice sound. The highs do not compare to Klipschs, but then again neither does the price. Otherwise, they bump the room and shake the house. Great for loud listening and modern music. They will not disappoint you. Also using a pre-amp with an equalizer can help enormously. They can handle my 9090DB to a certain limit, but it is hard to reach it without having the police called.

Similar Products Used:
Klipsch, Sansui, Wharfedale, etc.

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

victord360 AudioPhile

[Feb 12, 2002]

Strength:

Durability, construction, price, !QUALITY!

Weakness:
Highs a little muddy

These have very nice sound. The highs do not compare to Klipschs, but then again neither does the price. Otherwise, they bump the room and shake the house. Great for loud listening and modern music. They will not disappoint you. Also using a pre-amp with an equalizer can help enormously. They can handle my 9090DB to a certain limit, but it is hard to reach it without having the police called.